Electric time switch and self-winding clock mechanism for operating same



June 6, 1933. E F. HOLINGER 1,912,368

ELECTRIC TIME SWTCH AND SELF WINDING CLOCK MECHANISM FOR OPERATING SAME Filed July 18. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. Emil I H'olz'nyer A TTORNEY June 6, 1933. E. F. HOLlNGx-:R 1,912,368

ELECTRIC TIME SWITCH AND SELF WINDING CLOCK MECHANISM FOR OPERATING SAME Filed July 18,-. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l l l l x l I l I 1 J INVENTOR. Em 'HoZingar Z5 25a BY ATTORNEY Patented June 6, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EIIIL F. HOLINGER, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR T0 HUDSON ELECTRICAL HEATING CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK ELECTRIC TIME SWITCH AND SELF-WINDING CLOCK MECHANISM FOR OPERATING SAME Application filed July 18,

lnisms periodically set in operation by clockwork to partially or wholly re-wind the maink spring which drives said clockwork, said rewinding being performed to an extent equal to that by which the clockwork mainspring has been unwound during the period of time intervening between two given re-windings. The principal objects of the invention are to produce a mechanism which shall be simple and cheap in construction, can be applied to any standard clock movement, and is easily adjustable while prompt and positive in operation. Another object is to produce such mechanism which will wind up the clock spring to an amount which will exactly compensatev for its unwinding during a given period of operation of the clock movement.

As illustrated specifically the invention is applied to the periodic operation of an electric switch or work circuit controller which controls the supply of current to one or more electric heaters to the end that said heaters may be cut out of the supply circuit during the portion or portions of the day when said circuit is called upon to deliver the maximum current necessary to carry the peak load imposed thereon by other consuming devices,

.such as a transportation, lighting, or other industrial power system, and it has particular specific advantages in the combination thus illustrated, vbut the invention may obviously be used for other purposes.

Broadly stated, the invention in the embodiment here illustrated, comprises a work circuit controlling mechanism, mounted on the hour hand carrying sleeve, or similar element, of an ordinary clock mechanism, and a self-winding apparatus for said clockwork' 40' comprising an electric motor geared to the winding sha-ft of the clockwork, and two winding circuit controllers connected in -series in said motor circuit. One of the latter `is opened and closed periodically by movevment of the hour hand carrying element and the other, which has two vibrating members in shunt relation one with another,-is operated successively by the clockwork and by the winding mechanism. That is to say, one shunt controllmg member 1s moved into 1929. Serial N0. 379,152.

closed position by actuation of the hour hand carrying element, while the other is thereafter moved into closed position by movement of the winding mechanism, and both are moved into open position by rotation of the winding shaft in its periodic clock-winding operation, such opening of the clock-winding circuit, of course, terminating each periodic winding operation.

The best form of apparatus at present known to me embodying my invention is illustrated in the accompanying two sheets of drawings in which l.

Fig. l is a general rear elevation, with parts broken away and others shown in section, disclosing the circuit controller operated` by the winding mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a detail vertical section on line 2-2 of Fig. 4 disclosingthe circuit controller operated by the clockwork.

Fig. 3 is a detail plan view on an enlarged scale of the vibrating contact assembly, parts being broken away and others shown in section.

Fig. 4 is a general plan view, parts being shown in section or broken away, and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic partial assembly of the apparatus.

Throughout the drawings the same reference character parts.

A is the base plate supporting the front frame plate B, on which the work circuit controller is mounted. D is the rear frame plate between which and the front plate B is supported an ordinary clock mechanism 15, partly shown in outline and having a front frame plate C. Between B and 'C is a winding circuit controller operated by the element which would carry the hour hand of the clockwork-if it were used to form an ordinary clock, and to the rear of plate D is located the circuit controller operated by the winding mechanism and the electric motor apparatus for revolving the winding arbor.

Other portions of the clock mechanism shown in the drawings are the shaft l, which would carry the minute hand of the clock, said shaft having the squared end la to which an adjusting key may be applied fory has been applied to the samel purposes to be hereinafter described, said shaft. being connected by suitable reducing gearing 1l to the hour hand carrying sleeve 12, which is loosely mounted upon it. Shaft 1 is also connected to mainspring 16, coiled in drum 13, which is fast on winding arbor 1T. The inner end of the main spring is connected to the clock driving wheel 16a, meshing` with the lantern gear 16?), which is frictionally mounted on shaft 1. The outer end of the main spring is fastened to the interior of drum 13. Yithin the clockwork compartment, represented generally by rectangle 15, is located the usual clock train (not shown) conreying motion tothe usual escape-- ment. When spring 1G is wound up the clockwork will be set in operation, rotating shaft 1 once every hour, and the hour hand carrying sleeve once in every period of hours de termiued by the gear ratio of gear 11-.

53 is a cam disk of insulating material.

mounted on hour hand sleeve 12, and carrying a generally similar cam disk 2, of con ducting material, which latter is thus insulatcd from all other parts of the apparatus except. spring contact fingers 5 and G, the 'former of which bears on its side, while the latter bears on its periphery, when not prevented .from so doing by the projecting portions of insulating cam disk 3, linger G being wide enough to bear on either 2 or 3. Finger 6 loosely mounted on shaft 9 butl insulated therefrom by bushing 6o (see Fig. 3) and pulled downwardly by the spring 7. Shaft 9 is supported on housings 9a and 9b. carried respectively by frame plates D and B. L1G is an insulating housing for supporting' spring contact linger 5. The contact lingers 5 and 6, thus insulated, forni the terminals of any suitable work circuit d (see Fig. 5) which may include an electric heater or any other translating device indicated at 5l. Obviously when sleeve 12 is rotated by the clockwork, circuit 1l will be opened during those portions of every period of time consumed by its revolution during which linger 6 rests on the edge of insulating disk and closed during the rest of the time while said linger rests on the periphery of conducting disk 2. By making one of these disks circumferent-ially adjustable with reference to the other, the periods of open circuit during which the heater will be cut out of operation may be varied in lengt-h, without otherwise modifying the apparatus.

rlfhe clockwinding arbor 17 is periodically rotated in clockwise direction (looking at Fig. 1) to wind up spring 16. rlhis rotation is produced by gear wheel 1S fast on said shaft and driven by pinion 19 on shaft 2O which is rot-ated by ratchet wheel 21 under the action of reciprocating pawl 22, carried by arm 23 extending from vibrating armature 2Liof the make-and-break mechanism best shown in Figs. 1 and 5. Any other snitable electrically driven mechanism could be substituted for this form of motor, however. As shown this motive mechanism comprises electromagnet 28, mounted on base 25, which also supports housing 25a. to wiich Vibrating armature 25 is pivoted atI 2415:, and insulating housing 255, carrying the adjustable contact screw 31 with which cooperates insulated contact 3U, carried by the free end of vibrating armature 2l. A spring 2T connected to tho rearwardly projecting arm 26 on 211, normally maintains contact between 30 and 31, except when magnet 2S is energized by current llowing through circuit 2S), 29o. rl"his circuit .is dominated by the winding circuit controllers hcretotore referred to, which are connected in series therein.

r)She winding circuit controller, operated by the hour-hand-carrying element, sleeve 12, and therefore driven by the clockwork, coniprises the disk 11, of conduct' c' material and the ratchet-like wheel 1() of insulating niaterial mounted 'by its side and both carried by sleeve 12, and the spring contact 32 mounted on front plate B and bearing on the side of 11, together with spring linger 41, bearing on the peri'ihery of il, or on one of the teeth of the wheel 1l), according to the angular position of sleeve 12, iii ll-iA being wide enough to overhang both. Said linger ll is fast on metal sleeve 8, which is .loose on bushing 38, carried by shaft l). Spring 42 constantly pulls linger' l1 downwardly. AWire 29a from the lixcd nialu-and-brcak contact 3l is connected to spring contact and linger l1 may be intcrmittently connected to the other magnet terminal 29?), through the other winding circuit controller, which is partly operated by the winding mechanism. This second winding circuit controller coniprises the 'following apparatus, best shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 5.

Cani disk 3l of conducting material is fast on shaft 20, which, in the rewinding operation, is rotated by pawl and ratchet wheel mechanism 21, before described. Cani disk 34 is carried by insulating hub 34m and separated from ratchet wheel 21 by insul ating disk 45T. Contact linger 3G rests on. the periphery of this cani disk and forms an electrical connection therewith, except when it drops onto the non-conducting segment 35, located at the bottom of the cani drop. Spring contact linger 313, connected to wire 29?) from one of the terminals of magnet 25%, presses continuously on the side face of 3l. Finger 3G is loosely mounted by means of short sleeve 37 on insulating bushiu 3S, carried by shaft 9 (see Fie. and d) and is pressed downwardly by spring 3D. Finger Ll1, bearing on the rotary member of the lirstwinding circuit contrnlier, ami being mounted on sleeve S, which is loose on bushing 58, slowly osci lates said sleeve, as said linger rides up and down over the teeth of the libre wheel 10, under the pull of spring 42, as

said wheel is slowly rotated by the clockwork. A third contact linger 40 is fast on short sleeve 48, which is loosely mounted on bushing 38 and insulated from sleeves 8 and 37 by insulating rings 4Gb, these forming a friction bearing for sleeve 48. Sleeve 48 has a downwardly projecting lug 49 which cooperates with adjustable screw 51 carriedby lug projecting from sleeve 8 and forming aL lost motion connection between sleeves 8 and 48. The tree end of linger 40 has a lateral extension 40a (see Figs. 1 and 5) adapted to bear on the periphery of cam disk 34, when said linger is swung upwardly through operation of the lost motion connection when linger' 41 has ridden up nearly to the top of one of the teeth on 10, as shown in Fig. 2. lVhen linger 41 falls from the top olE any of these teeth, linger 40 is not mbved thereby, but remains in contact with 34 as the result of the opening of the lost motion connection. Finger 41 is electrically connected to both lingers 36 and 40 by shunt connections, 44, 45 (see Figs. 3 and 5) so that these two lingers which cooperate with cam disk 34 are in multiple connection with linger 41 and in shunt relation one with another. The operation of this particular multiple circuit breaker is as follows:

Vhen the winding mechanism has come to rest at the end of any re-winding operation, linger 36 is left resting on insulating segment 35, and linger 40 is withdrawn l'rom contact with cam disk34, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and in full lines in Fig. 5. This withdrawn position ol' linger 40 has been caused by cam disk 34 pushing it back during the preceding winding operation. This posi-y tion of the parts lea-ves open the winding circuit through magnet coils 28, and that is the reason why the preceding rewinding operation ceased, although linger 41 of the other winding circuit controller was then still resting on the periphery of contact disk 11, be-

tween two teeth 'of the insulating ratchet-like wheel 10. )Vith the lapse of time rotation of 10 by the clockwork causes linger 4l to ride upon on the next libre tooth of 10 and so break the winding circuit also at that point. Further rotation, which causes linger 41 to reach the tip of the tooth, oscillates sleeves 8 and 48 (screw 51 engaging lug 49) sulliciently to swing linger 40, 40a, against cam disk 34, thus reestablishing one shunt of the winding circuit at that point, as indicated in full lines in Fig. 1. Consequently, when finger 41 drops oli' the liber tooth onto the edge of conducting disk 11, the circuit through finger 40 is completed and magnet 28 is energized, linger 40 not being withdrawn from such contact by the downward motion of 41, sleeve 48 having a l'rictional bearing on the bushing 38 and the lost motion connection before described merely opening. As the result the 1nake-and-break mechanism is energized and actuates pawl 22, rotating the winding shaft 17 to wind up main spring 16. As cam disk 34 is rotated by this winding operation, it gradually pushes back linger 40 which yields by reason of its lrictional mounting on bushing 38, and, when the high portion of cam disk 34 passes from under linger 40, the latter is left in its retracted position shown in Fig. 5 and in dotted lines in Fig. 1, thus opening one shunt of the' winding circuit. Further rota-l tion of cam disk 34 in the same direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1 causes linger 36 (at the end of one complete revolution ol' the cam disk) to drop oli' the high point of the cam onto insulating segment 35, thus opening the other shunt of the winding circuit and bringing the re-winding operation to a stop, as both shunts 36 and 40 are opened, although linger 41 may still be resting on conducting disk 11. This completes the re-winding cycle andr thereafter linger 41 gradually leaves conducting disk 11, (as 10 and 11 continue to be rotated by the clock mechanism) and begins to mount another liber tooth on 10, thus opening the circuit at that point also and before linger 40 has been lorced back into contact with 34 by the lost motion connection between sleeves 8 and 48. l

Both the closing and breaking of the winding circuit are instantaneous and positive so that no sj'iarking` occurs because the spring linger 41 snaps olf of and away from the apex of each insulating tooth ot the ratchet-like wheel 10, and down upon the conducting element 11, to instantaneously close the circuit, while the spring linger 36 snaps down and away from the high point cf cam 34 upon the non-conducting member 35 to instantaneously break the circuit. The slow moving shunt controlling'linger 40 makes and breaks contact with cam 34 yonly after the circuit has been already closed or opened through the shunt around it by action of lingers 41 and 36, as above described.

It it were not for the necessity oli' producing a quick break of the winding circuit, linger 36 might be dispensed with and the action of cam disk 34 when its high point leaves linger 40 relied upon to produce such breaking of the circuit. Obviously if some other mechanism were added for insuring the desired quick breaking of the circuit, only one contact linger such as 40 might be employed.

In practical operation of my invention the parts may be so proportioned as to produce a rewinding action of any desired extent and with any selected frequency. As shown, the insulating ratchet wheel 10 has 16 teeth and consequently the winding circuit will be closed and opened sixteen times during each revolution of the main circuit controller disks 2 and 3. The reducing gearing 14 between shaft 1 and sleeve 12 has a ratio of one to twenty-four, instead of one to twelve, as in a standard clock mechanism. Consequently the re-winding will occur every ninety minpreviously described.

utes with the apparatus illustrated. At each closing ot the circuit the electro motor apparatus quite rapidly produces one rotation of cam disk 3st and is then cut out ot circuit as As the worl; circuit controller disks 2 and il mal-:e one revolution every twenty-ilfour hours, the heater will be cut out twice a day tor periods ol about three hours each, mornin and evening, which could he adjusted to correspond to the peak load periods ot a transportation system.

An important point to be taken care ot in designing apparatus ot this character is to make sure preferably that at each re-winding operation the main spring is wound up to an extent substantially equal to that by which it has unwound in the last period ot running the clockwork since the previous rewinding, or, in any event, that the Yamount of 1re-winding during some reasonaoly short period, such as that required tor one complete revolution of the work circuit controller', shall` Je exactly equal to the amount of unwinding of the mainspring required to drive the clockwork that tar. Unless this is done, the clockwork would in time run down and stop, or the. spring will be wound to the limit be'tore some re-winding operation is completed e. bctore cam disl: 2lilnis etl'ected a complete revolution) and the motor will then stall aud probably burn out. rlfhis complete balance ot the winding and unwiuding operation can be easily secured in my invention by so designing the various trains ot gearing that during each revolution ot the sleeve l2, carrying the clock-driven circuit controller l0, ll, which. will, of course, cause as many revolutions ot winding circuit controller cam dislr 3ias there are teeth on wheel l0, the unwindiing movement ot spring driven gear 16a shall be exactly equal to the winding-up movement ot drum 13. This result evidently can be secured by properly proportioning the gear ratios ot the winding `gearing and of the clock driven gearing. For example, it the revolution ratio of winding gears 19, 1S, is eight to one, and that ot the reducing gearing 14e is twenty-'four to one, then the revolution ratio of the clock driving gearing 16a., 167), should be one to twelve, since sixteen revolutions ot the cam disk 3l (which would occur in every twenty-tour hours because wheel l0 has sixteen teeth) would then produce two complete revolutions of spring drum 155, tending` to wind up spring 16 to that eX- tent` and the Contemporaneous one complete revolution of' wheel lO and sleeve l2 would have resulted trom twenty-four revolutions ot shaft l, which would have permitted onetwelt-h as many revolutions of spring gear 16a. i. e. two complete revolutions thereof tending to unwind spring 1G, which exactly equals the two revolutions ot' spring drum 13 occurring during the same twenty-tour hours. As a result the iinal tension ot mainspring 1G would be identical with its initial tension and thus the apparatus could continue to run as long as current was supplied to the motor without the clockwork running down or the mainspring being wound up any tighter than it was at the beginning ot operations.

It the sixteen teeth on lO were spaced apart evenly and with exactness, each re-winding operation would also exactly equal the unwinding ot the spring duriu the interval ot time since the beginning ot the previous rewinding cycle, but this is not essential. rlhe teeth might be quite irregularly spaced so long as ltheir total is sixteen (assuming the gear ratios above described) because the tot-al re-winding tor each complete revolution ot the toothed wheel l0 would be the same whatever the relative spacing ot the sixteen teeth, and it would be equal to the total unwinding oit the main spring occurring during that twenty-tour hour period. Even though certain ot the uinvinding operations would then exceed the immediately previous re-winds, others would tail short, and the total plus` and minus di'li'erences would cancel out at the end oil each complete revolution of wheel l0, i. eA at the end of every twenty-huw hou Obviously other toi-ms of' gearing and motion transimission mechanism could be substitutei'l ttor those shown in the (ilrawings without departing from the minciple ot my invention, so long as the p, eral mode of operation and results described were the same. Also other 'forms ot motor, including those using power other than electricity, could be substituted for the make-aiul-breal; apparatus shown, and proper means for controlling the application ol such other kinds ot power could be substituted for the electrical apparatus here shown as embodying the invention.

By applying a key to the squared end 1a of shat't l, the posit-ions of sleeve 12, switch disks 2, 3, and controller members 10, ll, can be adjusted at will, the shaft turning in the friction coupling by which it is connected to the lantern gear 1Gb, the same as when the hands ot a clocli are set forward or backward. In this way the time of day at which work circuit 4 is cut out by the apparatus can be varied.

The current tor the winding circuit may be supplied from any source, as by means of the shunt circuit 52 from the work circuit 4 as indicated in Fig. The source of current is conventionally represented by battery 53.

As the winding operation occurs sixteen times during each revolution ot the hour hand sleeve l2, or at intervals of an hour and a halt, it is evident that the mainspring, which would usually be of an expansion capacity sutlicient to drive the clock mechanism thirtyl hours in a one-day movement, will be alternately tirst wound up and then allowed to unwind through one twentieth of its expansion capacity, and to secure the most uniform operation of' the time mechanism it is well to set up the apparat-us originally so that the mainspring 16, is about one half or one third expanded, as it is well known that the force of a clock spring is most uniformly exerted throughout that zone of its unwinding.

As a result the mainspring will be kept continually operating at medium tension, and it is well known that its force is most evenly expended throughout that period, rather than near either extreme of tight winding on the one hand, or a nearly run down con dition, on the othe-r.

Having described my invention, I claim l. In an. automatic windingattachment for clock mechanism comprising a clock train, a motor geared to the clock winding arbor and a source of power for said motor, the combination, with said above recited elements, of means participating in the control of the application of said power adapted to be operated by said clock train, and two devices also adapted to participate in said power control severally arranged in series operatively with said means and in shunt relation one with the other, one of which devices is adapted to be controlled in operation by the said motor, while the other is adapted to be partly controlled in operation by said clock train and partly by said motor.

2. In an electrically controlled automatic winding attachment for clock mechanism comprising a clock train, an electric motor geared to the winding arbor of said clock mechanism and a power circuit for said motor, the combination, with said above recited elements of a controller for said circuit adapted to ybe periodically actuated by said clock train, and a second controller comprising two circuit controlling devices each connected in series with said first mentioned circuit controller but in shunt relation one with another, one of which last mentioned devices is adapted to be both opened and closed by the operationof said motor while the other is adapted to be opened by operation of the motor but closed by operation of the clock train.

3. In an electrically controlled automatic winding attachment for clock mechanism comprising a clock train, an electric motor geared to the winding arbor oi' said clock mechanism and a power circuit for said motor,` the combination, with said above recited elements, of a member adapted to be rotated by the clock train and having a serrated periphery, the projecting portions of which are of non-conducting material While the intervening, depressed portions are of conducting material, a vibrating conducting finger yieldingly pressed against said periphery, a member of conducting material adapted to be rotated by said motor and having a short, non-conducting segment in its periphery, a spring pressed conducting finger rest* ing on said periphery, and a third conducting linger pivoted on a friction bearing and also adapted to bear on said periphery, together with means operated by said motor to force said last mentioned linger away from said periphery, and a train of mechanism having a lostunotion link adapted to be operated by thc first above mentioned linger to force said last mentioned finger back into contact with said periphery, said two last mentioned fingers being'in multipley connection with the first above mentioned finger, and each in series therewith and with the conducting portion of said rotary members in said power circuit.

4. In an electrically controlled automatic winding attachment for clock mechanism comprising a clock train, an electric motor geared to the winding arbor of said clock mechanism and a power circuit for said motor, the combination, with said above recited elements, of a controller for said circuit adapted to be operated Wholly by said clock train, a second controller for said circuit in series with the first mentioned one and adapted to be partially operated by said motor, and an apparatus mechanically actuated by movement of an element of said first mentioned' controller to complete each cycle of operation of said second controller.

5. An automatic winding attachment adapted to be mounted on a standard clock mechanism, which attachment comprises, in combination, an electric motor and a rotary circuit controlling member therefor adapted to be supported at the rear of the clock frame and geared to the winding arbor of said clock mechanism, another rotary circuit controlling member adapted to be supported at the front of the clock frame and connected to the hour-hand-carrying sleeve of said clock mechanism, a shaft adapted to extend from the front to the rear of the clock frame and circuit controlling fingers mounted thereon and cooperating with the above mentioned rotary circuit controlling members, said circuit controlling devicebeing connected in series in the motor supply circuit and said last mentioned circuit controlling device being adapted to close the motor circuit at the end of a predetermined period of operation of the clock mechanism While said first mentioned circuit controlling device is adapted to open said circuit at the end of a predetermined amount of rewinding of the main spring of said clock mechanism.

6. In an electrically controlled automatic Winding attachment for clock mechanism comprising a clock train, an electric motor geared to the winding arbor of said clock mechanism and a power circuit for said motor, the combination, with said above recited elements, of two rotary circuit controllers connected in series in said circuit, the rotating Contact member of one controller being driven by the clockwork While the rota-ry Contact member of the other is driven by the rewinding gearing, and a vibrating member for each circuit controller connected together' by a lost motion mechanism, the vibrating Contact member for the first controller being adapted to be actuated in both directions by the clockwork, While that of the second. Controiler is adapted to be actuated in one direction by the Winding gearing and in the other by the rotating member of the irst controller through said lost motion mechanism.

EMIL F. HOLINGER. 

